Aries

(March 21st to April 19th)

You’re not being challenged.

Aries thrive under pressure, and as resident devils advocate of the zodiac, you love to argue the counter-point, challenge the mainstream, or at strike up a bit of competition with others. It pushes you to be better and know more, and Aries are nothing if not hungry to grow.

Taurus

(April 20th to May 21st)

You don’t have the right aesthetics.

This may seem shallow, but you need your world to look as beautiful as it feels, and a lot of the time for a Taurus, the solution to a lot of their stress is just for things to appear a certain way. Do not underestimate the power of your space, or how you dress yourself – both things can heavily influence your mood.

Gemini

(May 22nd to June 21st)

You don’t have direction.

You know what you love, but you don’t always know how to commit to it in a way that makes it sustainable. What you need more than anything is purpose and direction, you need to know where to put your energy. You feel deeply and strongly about things, but don’t always know what to do about them. If you don’t know where you’re headed, it’s easy for you to end up circling the same issues, blocks, excuses or ideas. Sit down and get clear on what you want.

Cancer

(June 22nd to July 22nd)

You’re around the wrong people.

Cancers are emotional, particularly when it comes to their relationships with other people. If you’re not careful, you can find yourself being heavily influenced by the wrong company, trying to keep up with the Jonses or appease someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart. Be mindful of the company you keep, as the saying goes, it will influence who you become.

Leo

(July 23rd to August 22nd)

You haven’t developed your sense of self.

Leos are happiest when they know themselves. This is tricky, however, because of course your sense of self has to evolve as you do – your idea of who you are must keep evolving, otherwise you’ll become stuck and complacent.

Virgo

(August 23rd to September 22nd)

You care too much about what other people think.

The amount of stress that a Virgo feels around what other people think is proportionate to how much power and freedom they experience when they stop caring, too. If you’re unhappy, it’s probably because you’re living for someone other than yourself, or making choices based on what you were taught would be best, rather than what you know to be right.

Libra

(September 23rd to October 22nd)

You haven’t found balance between work and love.

Libras care about two things: the work they do and the people they love. If you could boil their life purpose down, it would be to love someone wholeheartedly, and do something impactful. Because they feel these things so strongly, it’s often hard for them to strike a balance between the two: their energy is easily consumed by one or the other. The problem with this is that Libras need balance to feel content.

Scorpio

(October 23rd to November 22nd)

You can’t control your thoughts.

Scorpios feel as intensely as they think, and this becomes a problem when they don’t know how to manage their often irrational, impulsive ideas. It’s not that you can actually control what you think, but that you must learn how to choose what you focus on, and how to let other ideas pass. For this to work, you need to know what you care about and what kind of person you want to be. You’re always going to feel more than other people do, but that doesn’t mean you have to live your life controlled by it.

Sagittarius

(November 23rd to December 21st)

You aren’t doing enough.

Sagittaruses need to be on the move constantly. They are hungry for experience, and if they are unsatisfied with life, it’s because they feel unable to do what they really want. Sags might *think* they want the picture-perfect life and home and partner, but unless they’re able to couple that with adventure, they’ll never really feel content.

Capricorn

(December 22nd to January 20th)

You aren’t grounded.

Capricorns are the most grounded sign of the zodiac (sometimes to a fault). If you aren’t grounded in a home you appreciate, a partner who loves you, a job you feel purpose doing, you’re not going to be happy. For a Capricorn, happiness is in how content they are with the constants: what they do, and where they go, each day.

Aquarius

(January 21st to February 18th)

Your ambitions aren’t big enough.

Aquariuses desire accomplishment, and if you’re not happy with your life, it’s because you’re not doing or dreaming enough for it. Your happiness will come from falling in love with project after project, and idea after idea. If you stop working toward something greater than yourself, you’ll be in a total rut.

Pisces

(February 19th to March 20th)

You don’t have a creative outlet.

Pisces have an intense need to be understood, and at the same time, often feel as though they are not. The best way for them to express themselves is by creating something, be it art or writing or even a business. Pisces need to create a part of themselves in the world, rather than spending their whole lives searching for a part of the world that is just right for them. If you’re unhappy as a Pisces, it’s because you aren’t using your creative energy in a productive way.

Stop searching for happiness in the same place you lost it. Change is not dismantling the old, it’s building the new.

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: this idea changed my life.